Sarasota Photo Spots
Alligators, oranges, Disney World, and plenty of sun make the Sunshine State of Florida a vacation destination for people from all over the world. The stunning city of Sarasota is no exception! Here at Flytographer, we easily connect people with trusted photographers for fun photo shoots and have captured over three million memories worldwide. Today, we asked our local photographers to show us around all the very best places to take photos in Sarasota.
Located in Sarasota County, toward the southern end of the Greater Tampa Bay Area on the Gulf Coast, Sarasota is known for its pristine white sand beaches, twisting mangroves, delectable seafood, and luxurious boutique shopping. It’s a gorgeous place to visit, which makes it a phenomenal place to capture photographs that will last a lifetime — or at least make all your Instagram followers jealous!
TLDR
(A little sneak peek just for you 😊)
- Burns Court: The quaint brick buildings and walls adorned with hand-painted art make this district truly unique.
- Bayfront Park: Located in the heart of Sarasota, the park offers spectacularly dramatic views of the bay and city.
- Longboat Key: 12 miles of white sand beaches where you can find manatees, dolphins, pelicans, and osprey!
- Anna Maria Island: A stunningly beautiful Floridian island with turquoise waters, tropical foliage, sugar-white sand, and unique local businesses.
- Siesta Key: An 8-mile-long barrier island known for Siesta Key Beach — ranked the #2 beach in the entire United States.
Photo: Tami in Sarasota for Flytographer. Sherri and family capture memories in Sarasota with a family photoshoot.
1. Burns Court
While it only spans a few blocks, the historic Burns Court is packed with charming boutiques offering couture clothing, small and elegant salons, excellent restaurants, and friendly faces. Its quaint brick and patina buildings and walls adorned with hand-painted art make this district one of the most unique places to take photos in Sarasota. It’s such a funky, old-fashioned spot no one will believe you’re in Florida! 😎
Named for the famous Sarasota developer Owen Burns, Burns Court has an easy-going, slow-paced vibe that encourages visitors to take a breath, have a look around, and immerse themselves in its Southern charm. There’s something special (and totally Instagrammable) around every corner.
Photo: Tami in Sarasota for Flytographer. Lindsay and family capture memories in Sarasota with a family photoshoot.
2. Bayfront Park
Bayfront Park is a gorgeous waterfront green space with a promenade, a playground for the kids, and a tiki bar for the adults. Located in the heart of downtown Sarasota near Ringling Bridge, the park offers spectacularly dramatic views of the bay and city. Plus, it’s dog friendly, so you don’t have to leave your bestest furry friend behind! 🐶💗
Full of majestic holly, oak, citrus, magnolia, banyan, and palm trees, there are so many places to throw down a blanket and have a picnic in the shade. Don’t miss the iconic Dolphin Fountain at the park’s point. 🐬💦 Its spray shoots up to 40 feet, so get those cameras ready!
Photo: Tami in Sarasota for Flytographer. Leslie and partner capture memories in Sarasota with an anniversary photoshoot at Bayfront Park.
3. Longboat Key
Longboat Key and Lido Key offer fine dining, luxury resorts, kayaking and canoeing, and even waterfront golf. It’s a breathtaking 12 miles of white sand beaches, including Lido Beach — where you can find manatees, dolphins, pelicans, and osprey. 🦭🐬🐧 Talk about photo ops!
At the northernmost tip of Longboat Key, you’ll find Beer Can Island (also known as Greer Island), a one-mile stretch of beautiful beach with sugar-white sand that sits at the south side of the Longboat Pass Bridge, which connects Longboat Key with Anna Maria Island. It offers a stunningly beautiful place for swimming, sunbathing, fishing, picnics, and parties — though alcohol is prohibited. You can reach it with a shallow boat or by walking across at low tide, but don’t forget you’ll need to walk back at low tide too.
Photo: Tami in Sarasota for Flytographer. Leslie and partner capture memories in Sarasota with an anniversary photoshoot at Bayfront Park.
4. Anna Maria Island
Twenty minutes from Bradenton, you’ll find Anna Maria Island, known for its pristine white sand beaches, stunning turquoise waters (where you can often see dolphins and manatees at play), tropical foliage, and quaint local businesses. You won’t find high-rise condos or fast-food restaurants here — strict regulations only allow certain types of buildings and businesses on the island to preserve its old-timey, elegant vibe.
Seafood is on the menu! 🐙🍤🐠🦞🐟🦀🦪
From oysters to Key West pink shrimp to lobster to scallops to grouper to clams to seasonal crabs to sole filet to ahi tuna to so much more, this island is a seafood lover’s paradise.
As one of the must stunning places to take photos in Sarasota, you can get the perfect Instagram-worthy shot of the sunrise over Tampa Bay and the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico in a single day!
Photo: Tami in Sarasota for Flytographer. Natalie and family celebrate a birthday in Sarasota with a birthday photoshoot on Anna Maria Island.
5. Siesta Key
The 8-mile-long barrier island of Siesta Key is nothing short of an island paradise. You don’t even have to take our word for it — Siesta Key Beach was ranked the #2 Beach in the U.S. in 2023 by TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards™. Known for its sparkling emerald waters and white quartz sand, it’s one of the most Instagrammable beaches around.
But the beach isn’t the only thing to see in Siesta Key! Its large parking area and free trolley make it extremely easy to get around the island. You can shop at the local boutiques in Siesta Key Village, visit The Ringling Museum of Art (established in 1927 as the legacy of John Ringling and Mable Ringling), and hunt for fossilized shark teeth on Caspersen Park Beach in Venice all in the same day! 🦈
Photo: Tami in Sarasota for Flytographer. Kevin and partner celebrate a proposal in Sarasota with a proposal photoshoot at Siesta Key.
Capturing Memories in Sarasota
If you enjoy the sea, love eating what comes from the sea, or are looking for a luxurious and beautiful place to explore, look no further than Sarasota, Florida.
We couldn’t fit all our favourite places to take photos in Sarasota into one list. Here are some honourable mentions:
- The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens 🌸
- Myakka River State Park 🌳
- Sarasota Jungle Gardens 🦩🐍
Flytographer pairs you with professional travel photographers all over the world. We have a long list of talented Sarasota photographers, as well as photographers across Florida in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and more!
“Tami did a wonderful job with our family beach photos, which included three kids and a cranky toddler. Tami’s patience and professionalism were top-notch. The photos turned out great! So happy for the lovely memories captured of our vacation.”
Natalie
“Tami from Sarasota was wonderful! She was on time, and friendly and we felt at ease during our shoot. She took the most beautiful photos of my husband and I…40 Years Married and memories made.”
Leslie
“We had such a great time at our family shoot with Tami. She was sensitive to our needs and requests, was efficient given that we had kids who were cranky, and made us laugh!”
Christie
